Updated at 9:24 a.m., Saturday, March 24, 2007
Research ships anchor at new port on Ford Island
Advertiser Staff
Two Hawai'i-based ships of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrived at their new home port at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor last week, with a third NOAA ship to follow later this year.
The three NOAA ships acquire data that primarily support research in fisheries, coral reef and oceanography.
The arrivals of Oscar Elton Sette on March 13 and Hi'ialakai Sunday at Pier F-10 marked the permanent presence of NOAA on Ford Island. Ka'imimoana will relocate later this year.
Additional historic-building renovations are to be completed in September, allowing all NOAA ship operations to move out of Snug Harbor to Ford Island.
"The renovated pier facilities on Ford Island will enable NOAA to fully consolidate ship operations, resulting in greater efficiency and long-term savings," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "Getting the first two ships into their new home port is a major milestone in our overall plan to bring NOAA's O'ahu facilities together."
The U.S. Navy has authorized NOAA's exclusive use of a portion of Ford Island for its ship operations function as part of an upcoming larger NOAA presence, the Pacific Regional Center. The ship operations facility project includes two former Navy piers (F-9 and F-10), small boat finger piers, a small boat ramp for launching and retrieval, site work for new utilities and roads, and a 12,000-square- foot operations building. NOAA is paying for the $21 million renovation project under a Navy contract with Healy Tibbetts Builders Inc.
"I would like to commend all team members from NOAA and the Navy for their hard work," said U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. "Together, they have built a home for our ocean-faring colleagues on Sette, Hi'ialakai and Ka'imimoana — a world-class home port that appropriately honors these men and women of the sea for their commitment to oceanic and atmospheric science.
"Now, we must build on this foundation to create a home for their land-based colleagues who rely on their intrepid voyages to bring home the data and discoveries that fuel science, management and climate studies. The road ahead may be long, but we will travel it the same way we reached today's important milestone: by walking together, one step at a time."
The NOAA Pacific Regional Center is a multiyear, multiphase construction project to consolidate NOAA programs and operations on the island of O'ahu into a single facility on Ford Island. The multimission center will create a worker-friendly campus environment combining office, laboratory and research, marine animal treatment and ship operations facilities. About 500 employees representing five NOAA agencies and several staff offices will work at the center when it is completed.
